Search specific Blog

We learned a lot of cool things like that most police officers never have to use their firearms and that their tool belt alone weighs about 30 pounds! It was a great learning experience and I really had an amazing time. I am a VT Seva youth volunteer in the Dallas branch. I volunteered at Frisco police station to provide the officers with an appreciation lunch on March 5th, 2021. It was truly an incredible experience, me and a few other youth volunteers had the opportunity to speak with the officers and take photos with them. We also asked them a few questions about their difficult job, and we thanked them for all the hard work they do. It was amazing to clearly see the joy in their eyes from being appreciated and hear stories about their job. It was an impactful experience and I recommend you do the same for our very important police officers. On March 22nd, 2021, had the privilege to volunteer at a police station in Frisco and even get a tour of the station. The officer who gave us the tour explained what each room was for, made jokes and he taught us about what it’s like to be a police officer. We learned a lot of cool things like that most police officers never have to use their firearms and that their tool belt alone weighs about 30 pounds! It was a great learning experience and I really had an amazing time. I would gladly do it again and I highly recommend all of you readers to try it out too!

This was truly a great experience for me, to meet some great people who make sure we are safe and happy, and I would really love to do it again. Hi! My name is Sriram, and I am a VT Seva Dallas Youth Volunteer. I have done many things over the years as a VT Seva Volunteer, but never would I have thought that I would meet the police. It actually happened today on March 5th, 2021. Me and my family along with some other volunteers and friends drove to Frisco. Why did we do that you may ask? We wanted to appreciate the police officers for keeping all of us safe and doing their duty. We went inside and looked around at the police station. It was huge! We then went into a room and officers joined us there. We talked to them, thanked them, and even asked questions. I remember that I asked one of the officers “What was your most interesting case recently?” They mentioned about recent fire accident incident in Frisco and the role they played in ensuring the safety of the residents. I found it educational and felt grateful to them. Afterwards we took some pictures, thanked them once again, and drove home. This was truly a great experience for me, to meet some great people who make sure we are safe and happy, and I would really love to do it again. On March 22nd, 2021, I and 8 more VT Seva youth volunteers went to tour the Frisco Police Center. It was not what I thought it would be at ALL. We first were greeted by a Police officer who was our tour guide for the orientation. He was extremely welcoming and introduced us to himself and gave us a brief overview. He proceeded to show us around the center, and we asked many questions and he responded to all of them. He talked about his equipment, he showed us his squad car and all its cool gadgets and showed us around the building. Sadly, we didn't get to see the jail due to Covid safety measures, but we had a ton of fun and it was an amazing learning experience about how police keep us safe. This happens once a month so you all can do it too!

Before I went for the tour, I was kind of scared and nervous on seeing an officer. Now, after the tour I feel totally different knowing that the police officers are there to help and protect us and keep the citizens safe. My name is Keerthana Aduri, studying 4th grade at Ashley Elementary in Frisco and I am a VT Seva Dallas youth volunteer. I truly felt happy and excited when I went to visit the Frisco Police Department on March 5th, 2021. My favorite part was when I saw the surprised and happy expressions of the police officers when they realized that we were serving them lunch. I also learned things that I didn’t know before, such as how the police officers worked and how they were working under covid conditions. We also took many photos with the officers. Sponsoring the appreciation lunch made me feel very happy and joyful. I think it was really exciting to take the tour of the Frisco Police Department on March 22nd, 2021 and meet the very cool Officer Radd Rotello. We saw the gear the police officers wear and what they use them for. We also got to look inside a police officer's car and noticed the different useful items that the officers carry with them. The officer also told us some interesting facts about the prisoners that they had and showed us where they are brought first after arrested. He also talked about different programs that the kids can attend such as the explore program. Before I went for the tour, I was kind of scared and nervous on seeing an officer. Now, after the tour I feel totally different knowing that the police officers are there to help and protect us and keep the citizens safe.

I was so happy to be able to meet such great officers they were really considerate, understanding, and patient as they answered every question. I am Radhika a volunteer from VT Seva. On the first Sunday of March , my fellow volunteers and I had the honor to serve food to the Frisco police department. It was an amazing experience to see the ones that protect us day and night so we have no worries regarding our safety. We asked some questions to the first responders we met and they said some things that I did not expect. For example, they had explained that there are around 20 departments and that Frisco has one of the best responding times. They went on to say that COVID-19 has changed some of the things they do to make sure the citizens are safe. I was so happy to be able to meet such great officers they were really considerate, understanding, and patient as they answered every question. Overall it was a fun experience and I would love to do it again.

We also got to see the office area of the police officers, the area where they take all the evidence and many more places at the department. It was an honor to meet with the Frisco Police Department on March 5th 2021. It was an exciting experience to interact with the police officers while offering them token of appreciation lunch provided by VT Seva. It helped me to understand what the Police officers do and also how they help the community to keep us all safe. In the end it was a very good opportunity to provide appreciation lunch and having a nice conversation with the police officers. I would recommend youth volunteers to participate in it and to get to know their local police department. Thank you, VT Seva for giving me this opportunity. On March 22nd, 2021, we got an opportunity to take a tour of the Frisco Police Department. When we first entered the building, we were met by a police officer who acted as tour guide, gave us an orientation on some programs the Frisco police department offers for children and adults and some things that the police officers do. The police officer was also very funny and also informative and answered all of our questions. The officer also showed us his squad car and explained about the devices in his car. We also got to see the office area of the police officers, the area where they take all the evidence and many more places at the department. Due to COVID we didn’t get chance to visit jail and 911 call center for the safety of the officers. Overall, it was wonderful experience and I recommend all the youth volunteers take part in this program.

On March 5th, 2021, VT Seva Dallas started monthly Appreciation lunch to 80+ Police officers and staff at the City of Frisco appreciating their services to keep us safe. We will be conducting this on monthly basis throughout the year. Youth gets an opportunity to thank the police, interact with them to learn about the law, services and get motivated to grow up as law-abiding citizens. They also get to take pictures with the officers. Our gesture was greatly appreciated by them thanking VT Seva on their media channels . To encourage our VT Seva youth volunteers, Frisco Police Department offered to provide an interactive informative orientation session on a monthly basis honoring our request. In words of youth volunteers who participated in the appreciation lunch and tour of the police department - "It helped me to understand what the Police officers do and also how they help the community to keep us all safe" - Viraaj Gorukanti "I have done many things over the years as a VT Seva Volunteer, but never before would I have thought that I would meet the police. It actually happened today." - Sriram Vennamaneni "Speaking and interacting with the police officers, by asking them questions and hearing about their thoughts on different aspects of the job, revealed to us a much more approachable and friendly reality of officer's personalities that contrasts stereotypes many citizens hold of the police being intimidating!" - Akshara Sankar "My favorite part was when I saw the surprised and happy expressions of the police officers when they realized that we were serving them lunch." - Keerthana Aduri "We asked some questions to first responders we met and they said some things that I did not expect. For example they had explained that there are around 20 departments and that Frisco has one of the best responding times" - Radhika Manthena "They sounded very confident and passionate about what they do, and I learned that they deal with cases like robberies, crimes, and fire-related incidents besides patrolling the city." - Meghana Aduri "It was amazing to clearly see the joy in their eyes from being appreciated and hear stories about their job. " - Lakshman Vennamaneni On March 22nd, we had our first tour of the Police department office, where Police officers provided behind-the-scenes experience with hands-on education about various departments, squad car, cool gadgets & equipment that aid them to keep us safe. They explained how 911 calls work and how dispatch flow works. Youth expressed their enthusiasm about this and we plan to have at least 100 youngsters get benefitted from this project in 2021. "It was a wonderful experience! The police officer guiding us was so kind and friendly. I went into this event thinking that I knew most of what was there to know about the police force, but I learned so much! Because of this event, I have a newfound respect for our police and the work that they do." - Sahana Peechara "We met a police officer who acted as our tour guide, and saw his weapons, different tools police officers use, etc.) It was very interactive, and we got to go inside the jail and a squad car (which was interesting)." - Sahiti Peechara

To make a difference in someone's world, you don't have to be amazing, rich, talented, or beautiful. You just have to be you and CARE. - Rebecca Fox Volunteering in 2020 was unprecedented, with the pandemic, not being able to do in-person volunteering, and a lot of uncertainty. But, VT Seva Cary quickly adapted to these trying times by coming up with creative ways to volunteer. Our youth volunteers smoothly transitioned to volunteering their time either virtually or in other ways while maintaining covid protocols. Making cloth masks and distributing them at a senior center, providing lunch to our healthcare workers at Rex and UNC, a two-week online summer camp teaching various skills and subjects, pumpkin carving sessions, a bake sale, biking for donations, making greeting cards for our healthcare workers and patients at UNC, on-line tutoring and college app sessions were few of the ways our youth volunteers volunteered their time in 2020. On February 21st, 2021, some of these VT Seva Cary youth volunteers received their Presidential Volunteers Service Awards at a small ceremony while maintaining social distance. In total, we had eight gold, one silver, and four bronze awards. Volunteers who received the awards are Ashrith Desu, Dhriti Koneru, Ishani Dasyam, Lakshmi Annugu, Mahathi Mallela, Manasvi Gudibandi, Monish Manne, Neeraja Boppana, Rohitha Sanka, Sribhaavita Nekkalapudi, Srichandrika Changalvala, Srinivas Tirunagari, and Thanuj Desu. Together, these kids volunteered a total of 1,617 hours in 2020. Hearty congratulations to them! We would like to thank their parents as none of this would have been possible without their amazing support!! An award calls for a celebration and these kids wanted to celebrate too. But, they wanted to celebrate a little differently this year. So, they donated $35 each, thus raising around $500. With this money they sponsored meals for a day (24th February 2021) to all the students at all the VT Seva Sponsored schools in INDIA - Netra Vidyalaya (School for the visually challenged kids), Netra College (College for the visually challenged kids), and Tribal school (School for kids living in tribal areas), thus showing true volunteerism in their celebrations too. What a wonderful and inspiring way to celebrate any occasion! If you would like to celebrate your special occasions similarly then please visit the below link to know more about the ‘Feed a School’ program. https://www.vtsworld.org/specialoccasion To recognize the efforts of these kids, on February 28th,2021, the VT Seva Cary youth board directed their first PVSA awards ceremony. This eventful session opened up with a blast of energetic words from our directors Kalyani Sanka and Sowjanya Thungathurti, and our amazing emcee and youth board President, Chandrika Changalvala. Then, Thanuj Desu and Ashrith Desu talked about the various activities VT Seva Cary took up so far in 2021. The ceremony started with some inspirational words from our guest speaker, Dawn Dixon. Dawn is the volunteer coordinator for FSSeries, a nonprofit organization specializing in marathon events to raise funds for the REX hospital and other organizations. These funds go towards research for incurable diseases. Recently, she funded education for two visually challenged kids. Dawn spoke of her experience in volunteering and service, helping our volunteers learn how to branch out to gain more experience. While sharing her experience of working with our VT Seva volunteers she said, “In the past, when I have worked with your group, they have been wonderful kids to work with. They have been dedicated and very focused on the task. It’s rewarding to see how much they want to give to the community and how they help the athletes.” Then, our advisor Chakradhar Sriperumbudur spoke about the PVSA awards and volunteerism and the effect it has on the community. Here is an excerpt from his speech, “Do you know what it takes to be a volunteer?: Generosity... willingness... time... understanding... empathy... compassion... patience... dedication. You have shown all these qualities and much more. Thanks for the difference you have made. Because of you, my friend, someone will have enough to eat tonight, someone will have decent clothes to wear, someone will have shelter. Because of you, someone knows that there is at least one person in this world that cares for them. This world is a better place because you volunteer.” Then our PVSA Award winners were recognized by Aravind Parankusam and Subrahmanyam Nekkalapudi. The award winners were asked to speak about their experience and journey that led them to this award. Each volunteer gave incredible speeches that were very motivational to the audience. Below are a few excerpts from their speeches, “The events I went to have taught me that I should always be thankful and appreciative for the people around me.” “Teaching in the summer camp helped me personally because not only did I gain life skills...it also helped me gain a career interest in STEM and computer science.” “At an event I remember it was really cold...and at one point our toes got numb...but I realized that you need to give nourishment and encouragement to the runners and that’s what pushed me forward to just stand there and volunteer all I can.” “Volunteering helped me understand what it means to truly give back to the community and helped me define who I am as a person.” “Volunteering with VT Seva has edified me into being a better leader and bring the best out of me. It has not only taught me to give back but has also helped me get out of my personal box.” “Through VT Seva not only was I becoming an active member of the community, but I was also becoming a better person.” “One of the greatest things that VT Seva has to offer is motivation and encouragement. They will help you in anything you want to pursue.” “VT Seva made me realize how much an individual can do for the community, how important it is to respect and be thankful to people who do so much for us and how much of an impact I can have on the community.” After the open mic with the award winners, Ishani Dasyam introduced VT Seva Cary’s monthly spotlight performance by one of our very own youth volunteers, Sribhaavita Nekkalapudi. Bhaavita played an improvised piece on the drums, in quite a unique circumstance. She had just returned from a seven-hour fundraiser video shoot for our local temple and was fully decked in traditional classical dance attire. It was quite a unique combination of traditional meets western. She gave an energetic performance which left the audience speechless. Session was concluded by conducting a quick game of Kahoot, run by youth volunteer Rohitha Sanka. It was both engaging and entertaining, thus bringing the week-long celebrations of our PVSA award winners to an end. Needless to say, it was a very successful event, leaving all of our volunteers inspired and motivated. Kudos to the volunteers for all their efforts and continued support to this great mission.

VT Seva Detroit Youth Board is working towards a goal of implementing at least one project each month which is initiated by Youth Board members. We had a busy and successful 1st quarter. The team has implemented 4 projects in the 1st quarter. o Operation Gratitude Project o Rescue Animal Towel Collection Project o Foster Care Clothes Drive o Grocery Bag Donation Operation Gratitude Project: VT Seva Detroit Youth Board Thanking our Deployed Troops Operation Gratitude is a program that supplies deployed troops and frontline responders with a variety of necessities including blankets, bags, and letters. VT Seva Detroit Youth Board Member Harish came up with this idea and all the group Youth Board members came together to make handwritten letters for these people who put their lives on the line every day. Writing letters is a very quick process, yet it still means the world to the recipients. By working on this project, Detroit Youth Board members thanked all the troops and responders who have been putting themselves in harm's way to keep us safe amid a global pandemic. 23 members participated and wrote 190 letters to our deployed troops. This is the least our youth can do to show their gratitude for the service of our troops. In this high-tech world, penmanship is becoming a lost art. This project provided the opportunity for our youth to discover their writing skills and creativity. Thank You Troops for keeping us safe Youths who participated in this project are Abhinav, Adhvaith, Aishani, Amogh, Anagha, Dhanya, Harish, Hiba, Kaavya, Niharika, Nikhil, Nikita, Oviya, Rashmita, Risha, Sanjana, Shrikha, Sohan, Srihari, Supraja, Sveya, Vaibhav, Yasaswini Youth Board Member Niharika put together a video for this project FB Link: (1) VT Seva-Detroit - Posts | Facebook Rescue Animal Towel Collection Project "𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐨𝐝" - 𝐕𝐓 𝐒𝐞𝐯𝐚 𝐂𝐄𝐎 𝐇𝐇 𝐒𝐫𝐢 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐚 𝐉𝐞𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐫 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐦𝐢 𝐣𝐢 *𝓡𝓮𝓼𝓬𝓾𝓮 𝓐𝓷𝓲𝓶𝓪𝓵 𝓣𝓸𝔀𝓮𝓵 𝓓𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓟𝓻𝓸𝓳𝓮𝓬𝓽* A rescue animal is an animal that has been placed in a new home after being abused, neglected, or abandoned by its previous owner... Many animal rescue organizations exist to rescue, protect, care and re-home the animals. What a wonderful service provides by the Animal Shelters to save these voiceless animals! VT Seva Detroit Youth Board did their part to help these animals by collecting the used towels. The towels that we think are useless after some time are a great help to these shelters to take care of the dogs after giving them the bath, using as a rag to train the dogs, cleaning after surgeries. This project was initiated by the Youth Board Member 𝗢𝘃𝗶𝘆𝗮. 𝟐𝟔 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐛𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫s reached out to their friends and families and collected 210 big towels. Members who participated in this project are Yug, Yasaswini, Vaibhav, Teja, Tarun, Sveya, Supraja, Srihari A, Sohan, Siddharth, Shriya, Sathvik, Saisha, Risha, Rashmitha, Oviya, Nikhil, Niharika, Kaavya, Hiba, Harish, Dhanya, Arya, Anjana, Amogh & Abhinav. Due to the large volume of the collection, we were able to donate it to two different organizations. 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝐃𝐨𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞 - supports the rescue animals by fostering them, just a day after we donated the towels, they received 30 dogs from Texas where one of the animal shelters was damaged by a recent winter storm. They were so happy to receive the towels and happy for the timely help. 𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲 - - Animal shelter rescues the animals using the team of trained and credentialed investigators. They are one of the leaders in the Animal Welfare community. They provide shelter to lost animals and surrendered animals also. At any given time in each of their location, they have 100+ animals (dogs, cats, bunnies.). They were also so happy to receive the towels which will be used in a huge deal to support their mission. Special shout out to the parent volunteers Vanitha ji, Sudheer ji, Sripriya ji, Srinath ji, Priya ji, Madhavan ji, and Architha ji for collecting the towels in each city and dropping them off. Youth Board Member Oviya put together a video for this project FB Link: (1) VT Seva-Detroit - Posts | Facebook Foster Care Clothes Drive: “When you wear clothes that make you feel confident, happy, and empowered, they can act as armor, shielding you from negative feelings and experiences.”- Georgina Lucas Foster care (also known as out-of-home care) is a temporary service provided by states for children who cannot live with their families. There are lots of wonderful foster parents out there, but they do need help from all of us to provide proper care for the kids. The VT Seva Detroit Youth Board helped many foster kids by donating their gently used clothes to the Downriver Foster Closet. This simple gesture brightens the lives of many kids. The Downriver Foster Closet has been helping Downriver Foster Families since 2020. Their mission is to help foster kids rebuild their self-esteem and adapt to their new homes. This project was initiated and led by Youth Board member Harish 𝟑𝟓 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝟑𝟐𝟎 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬. Members participated in this project are: Oviya, Pranav M, Rashmitha, Risha, Rohan, Saisha, Sanjana, Sanjith, Sathvik, Siddharth, Sohan, Srihari A, Srihari H, Supraja, Sveya, Tarun, Teja, Vaibhav, Yasaswini, Yug, Abhinav, Aishani, Amogh, Ananya R, Ananya V, Arya, Dhanya, Eeshan, Harish, Hiba, Jishnu, Kaavya, Nikhil, Nikitha and Nirvan. Special shout out to parent volunteers Sripriya ji, Vidya ji, Architha ji, Sudheer ji, Srinath ji, Vanitha ji, and Priya ji for collecting clothes from different cities. Youth Board member Hiba put together a video for this project FB Link: (1) VT Seva-Detroit - Posts | Facebook Grocery Bags Donation: VT Seva Detroit youth has taken up a new project to convert 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲. Youth Board member Risha initiated this project. 35 members collected 3469 grocery bags and donated them to 2 different groups 1. Foodbank in Canton called Open Door Ministry, use these bags to distribute foods 2. Group of volunteers who make mats for the homeless from the plastic bags. Both groups were thankful for receiving those bags. Members participated in this project are Abhinav, Aishani, Amogh, Ananya R, Ananya V, Anjana, Arya, Dhanya, Eeshan, Harish, Hiba, Jishnu, Kaavya, Nikhil, Nirvan, Oviya, Pranav M, Rashmita, Risha, Rohan, Saisha, Sanjana, Sanjith, Sathvik, Shriya, Siddharth, Sohan, Srihari A, Srihari H, Supraja, Sveya, Tarun, Teja, Vaibhav, Yasaswini Special shout out to parent volunteers Sripriya ji, Vidya ji, Architha ji, Sudheer ji, Srinath ji, Vanitha ji, and Priya ji for collecting clothes from different cities. Promotional Video: Post completion video: Youth Board member Kaavya put together a video for this project FB Link: (1) VT Seva-Detroit - Posts | Facebook Blog Consolidated By Youth Board Member Oviya

North Jersey VT SEVA is partnering with other chapters across the nation to bring to you the Eco Fundraiser! Our goal is for people to experience the joy of growing organic plants in their own homes while learning about gardening. Those willing to participate will plant seedlings in small containers inside their homes and take care of them so that they can grow. After those plants come to a certain size where they can be planted outside, they will be sold to the community and the proceeds received will go towards VT SEVA to support the education of visually challenged kids in India. Come join us in making the earth a better place along with serving our community! Contact : vtsnj.ecofundraiser@gmail.com

VT Seva Detroit is hosting a Toys/Books/Games Drive for the Children's Hospital Michigan NEW ITEMS ARE ACCEPTED APRIL 25 DUE DATE Children's Hospital Michigan relies on the generosity of our local community to brighten the Children's hospital stay. Your donation of new gifts helps create a comfortable, healing environment for them. This is our first community service for Children's Hospital Michigan and VT Seva Detroit is looking forward to a successful donation drive. Together let's bring a smile to a Child's face. Contact : (949) 232-9477 SrinathBabu Karnati VTSEVA DETROIT DIRECTOR VOLUNTEER

Nethra Vidyalaya Students amazing performance in Telangana Paralympics “It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” –Muhammad Ali Our Nethra Vidyalaya students have been participating in various Paralympics state level conducted by various states of India. A Couple of weeks back they participated in Andhra Pradesh state-level Para Athletics and Powerlifting competitions 2021 . They won many medals in various categories. Nethra Vidyalaya students continued the same streak and won 15 Gold Medals, 6 Silver Medals, and 1 Bronze medal in the Telangana Paralympics held at Bhupalapalli, Warangal. Congratulations to all students who have participated and won. It is amazing to see these students excel by their hard work, discipline, and continually striving to improve. Kudos to all the teachers and volunteers supporting them and guiding them through this process. The facilities, care, and dedication Vikasa Tarangini and VT Seva have given through all the years of their stay in Nethra Vidyalaya have shaped the confidence of these kids and the results prove that. The winners are

We are very excited to share the latest news on winning the state championship and medals by students of Nethra Vidyalaya Colleges and Schools supported by VT Seva. AP State Level Para Athletics and Powerlifting Competitions, 2021, were held at Police Training College Grounds, Ananthapuram, Andhra Pradesh on 6th and 7th March 2021. The Principal Secretary for the Women and Child Welfare Department, AP, District Collector of Ananthapuram, DIG of Ananthapuram inaugurated the event. Netra students being visually challenged amazed the event attendees and dignitaries with their disciplined March past performance (parade) and received humongous appreciation from the officials present there. More than 150 visually challenged participants from 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh participated in this meet. 28 students from our Nethra Vidyalaya Institutions went to compete and secured 25 Gold, 13 Silver a nd 10 Bronze medals in Para Athletics (36) and Para Power lifting (7) categories and Overall State Championship . VT Seva CEO and Nethra Vidyalaya visionary HH Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji expressed joy about students achieving the best in all the activities be it appreciated the students for their dedication, hardwork, and success in all the activities, emerging as champions in international sports , National sports competitions , excellence in academics , NCC parade and many more. He said "You always made us feel proud of your activities. You have gained always good ranks and many first ranks. You have never returned without many firsts in your bag." Championship Trophy K. Lalitha - 3 Gold O. Jagan - 2 Gold and 1 Bronze T. Krishna veni - 2 Gold and 1 Silver B. Sita Lakshmi - 1 Gold 1 Silver and 1 Bronze B. Sanyasamma - 1 Gold and 1 Bronze G. Nagaraju - 2 Silver Vandhana - 1 Silver and 1 Bronze P. Anusha - 2 Bronze Niranjan - 1 Gold and 1 Silver Divakar - 1 Silver S.V. Pydi Naidu - 1 Bronze G. Siva Kumar - 2 Bronze Naresh kumar - 1 Silver M. Anil - 1 Gold T. Santosh - 3 Gold medals M. Satyavati - 4 Gold medals S. Manikanta - 2 Gold 1 bronze K. Punya Srinadh - 1 Gold 2 silver K. Gopalachari - 1 Gold V. Ravindra - 1 Gold Ch. Ramya - 1 Gold A. Swaraj - 1 silver L. Aditya - 1 silver V. Ravani - 1 Gold 1 silver As our students excelled in 2021 state-level championship, they are selected now for national-level competitions. We are looking forward to them emerging as national and international champions in para-sports in the coming few months, similar to the way they won in 2019 at ASIAN Para Games conducted in Colombo, Srilanka, repeating the history. The students of Nethra Vidyalaya schools and colleges supported by VT Seva not only get the best of education and compassionate care but also are provided opportunities to participate in fine arts, sports, yoga, martial arts, and many more. They always exceed expectations making everyone involved with VT Seva proud and inspiring others. We thank all our volunteers and donors for their contributions in making these exceptional accomplishments possible. Your support is our strength to serve!

Growing your own food may be one of the most powerful steps you can take for the health of yourself, your family and your planet. You love gardening and would like to use the skills to help visually challenged? We got some great news for you. Youth volunteers from Boston are welcome to join "Seedlings for Education" team to learn, practice basics or gardening and in turn help Visually Challenged. You get to grow seedlings in backyards. We will provide seeds, and teach the basics of gardening, composting etc. When the seedlings are ready, you can use them for raising funds for Schools for Visually challenged. VT Seva Boston will sponsor educational needs of visually challenged with special needs 3D human body anatomy and telescopes for tribal schools to gaze at stars and reach to the highest horizons in their educational pursuit. Questions? Contact - boston.director@vtsworld.org

As our country is facing a crisis, love and compassion could not be more important. Compassion: its putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, and knowing how to help them, and yourself, heal. Being that person to make a difference in someone else’s life. “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always.” – Robin Williams VT Seva embodies this theme in every way possible. VT Seva is about serving the community we live in and the community we are from with compassion and love. We show compassion and love to people who need it the most through our four pillars, including educating the underprivileged and visually challenged, environmental sustainability, cancer awareness, and disaster relief and aid. This year on Valentine's Day, we hosted an event to spread love to heroes in our local community. The VT Seva Hearts for Heroes program was conducted by our Seattle youth team who supplied over 100 meals and made 40 personalized messages for many of our healthcare workers in the Seattle area. Through all of these kind gestures, we were able to convey the love and compassion that we call “service” to an entire community of people. VT Seva Dallas youth volunteers showed their love and compassion to the senior citizens. Senior citizens have been our friends of VT Seva volunteers for the past 4 years. To express our love and friendship, on the occasion of Valentines' day, a few volunteers visited the center and handed over handwritten musical greeting cards to all the residents there through the coordinator. How can you spread love and compassion today? Through VT Seva’s feed a meal program! Our donors can sponsor meals for children at our tribal and visually challenged schools for special events in their lives such as birthdays, anniversaries, and maybe even just to spread smiles. To learn more on how you make a difference through love and compassion, visit the vtsworld.org website. And remember, without love and compassion our entire world would be buried deep in violence and hatred so, let’s spread love! Laya, (6th Gr) and Anushka, (11th Gr)

VT Seva started the year 2021 with great energy and poised to focus on Youth empowerment more than ever. There was no better time than this to celebrate considering the amazing work done by our Youth volunteers in the year 2020 when the world has been grappled in the pandemic. They showed compassion, leadership through several virtual workshops, seminars, Health camps, sports events planned and executed by the youth with the help of VT Seva Leadership Team. There were 82 nominees for five categories from various branches and the selection process was meticulously planned engaging external judges. VT Seva empowers youth with volunteerism and philanthropy and everyone putting in their time to help each other is a winner to begin with. The nominees made the job of our panel of judges very hard but, it is a nice problem to have. Without further ado, the winners are - Most Active Rookie of the Year A volunteer who recently joined VT SEVA is considered a rookie The winners are Runners Up: Aditi Anakala, and Varshita Parupudi, Nominees: Sumana Chilakamarri, Chinmay Dongari, Sreeja Sappati, Mehar Nemani, Aaditya Shivapooja, Hiba Zyna, Shrikha Atchutuni, Risha Narayanan, Siddharth Thirumala Kanduri, Kartheek Mukkavilli, Srisamhita Ponnapalli, Srinithya Tirumala, Yashwanth Piratla, Laya Dhilip, and Amogh Desai. Rising Star of the Year A volunteer who started to show a lot of initiative and commitment this year The Winners Are Runners up: Sriram Vennamaneni, Keerthana Noru, Nominees: Charishma Bijum, Rikhilsai Duvvuri, Sanjana Veerapaneni, Srimayi Kakkadap, Trisha Vemulapalli, Ritika Vemulapalli,Siri Chandana Arkatala, Pranav Arkatala, Lohith Manthena, Manasvini Gudibandi, Arnav Senapathi, Rashmitha Raghunathan, Saisha Srivatsan, Veeraj Sirivolu, Shreyas Bharath, Dev Shashank, Aditya Manthena,Akshaya Manthena, Ananya Suthram, Aakarsh Dhilip Most Initiative Driven Volunteer Volunteer who has demonstrated lot of initiative in ever Activity they did for VT SEVA in either generating funds, doing unique initiatives, or bring more youth to join VT SEVA . The Winner is ANUSHKA SHARMA SEATTLE Runners up: Rohitha Sanka, Lakshman Vennamaneni Nominees: Adya Ganti, Aayush Kumar, Nikhilesh Edara, Nitya Hosur, Blivanilay Vakulabharanam, Abhishek Sambaraj, Aditya Agarwal On the beautiful evening while celebrating our awesome youth volunteerism, wanted to provide motivation and inspiration and that's exactly what our esteemed Chief Guest and Key Note Speaker did. Padma Bhushan Pullela Gopichand ( Indian Badminton Player ), Dronacharya and Arjuna Awardee, addressed the group encouraging the youth and sharing inspirational experience of his journey, the inspiration our scriptures provide and the importance of including them as default curriculum for the benefit of youth. The Keynote Speech was delivered by Major Nikhil Kesiredddy (United States Marine Corps) who enunciated values like discipline, focused efforts, mindfulness and Goal oriented approach. Both gentlemen appreciated VT Seva’s efforts and initiation in giving back to the community. The evening continued with recognizing volunteers in two more categories. Most Creative Volunteer Volunteer who has demonstrated a lot of creativity in either generating funds, doing unique initiatives, or bringing more youth to join VT SEVA or etc. Creativity is identifying unique ways to create value for VT SEVA, its pillars and its communities. The Winner is CHINMAY KOIMUTTUM SEATTLE Runners up: Sahana Peechara, Anish Immadi Nominees: Nikhila Mannepalli, Manasi Oleti, Parth Garg,Thanuj Desu, Sribhavita Nekkalapudi, Anjali Alishala, Shrija Cheetypalli, Trisha Chinnimeni, Varshini Vakulabharanam, SaiVachan Ponnapalli, Samhita & Vedanth Jonnalagadda, Oviya Jaisankar. Most Valuable Volunteer This Volunteer has contributed at various levels - as a leader, as a participant, helper, mentor, initiator etc. The Winners Are Runners up: Shreya Bandi, Adarsh Nallapa Nominees: Adithya K Upadhayula, Sri Chandrika Changavala, Aaditya Malapati, Shreya Bandi, Kaavya N Srikarnati,Harish Jaisankar, Rahul Rajulu Our panel of judges did an amazing work and they were present at the event to witness and congratulate the volunteers in person, well virtually. We thank our judges panel for their time, effort and encouragement to all the nominees and winners. Panel of Judges: Ms. Usha Ravilla, Youth Chair of NJ Telugu Association, Worked with the Vegesna Foundaiton and The Hunger Project Initiative Mr. Samir Shah, Lead, Shrimad Rajchandra Love and Care. Ms. Sangeetha Chowhan, VP Project, Small Steps Foundation, Volunteer/Coach and Judge for Odyssey of the Mind, Ms. Ceeilia Jackson, Founder/Executive Director of Youth Leadership Development Program, Bharatanatyam Teacher, Ms. Rajani Veeramachaneni, Mentor for Sfeteens Online, TEDx Youth Programs, Judge for American Business Awards Ms. Sunitha Cheruvu, President of Frisco Education Foundation, Mayoral Ad-hoc Frisco Inclusion Committee, Frisco ISD Diversity Task Force “Because of the service. Whether you make yourself available to a friend or co-worker, or you make time every month to do volunteer work , there is nothing that harvests more of a feeling of empowerment than being of service to someone in need.” Gillian Anderson

VT Seva Seattle team is excited to offer for children. Cricket is currently the fastest growing sport in the United Stages according to the Washington Post. We Want to spread the game across the northwest so more and more can take part in this awesome manifestation of Indian & global culture and sport! Dates : Mar 20th to May 1st Grades : 3rd and above Registration: $90 ($15 per session) The coaching team consists of 8 -16 year old's and adult supervisors, three of them have played nationally in the under 15 level. Young and talented kids are ready to share their experiences with your child. They have also been coached by a number of former ICC coaches, including Word Champion Cleon Smith of the West Indies and Dav Whatmore of Sri Lanka and the IPL's Kolkata Knight Riders 26. All proceeds will go towards educating the Underprivileged and Visually challenged kids in India as well as local community causes. Contact : 408-505-4693, Email: vtsevaseattlecricket@gmail.com

VT Seva Dallas organized Tarangini 12th anniversary on Feb 13th, 2021. Due to Covid-19 pandemic, it was a virtual event. Still, the programs were no short of real experience to motivate and entertain the audience of 250 families watching live from their homes. With the power of teamwork and kindness of the volunteers and donors, Dallas team raised funds (including corporate matches to come soon) to support the education of 500+ underprivileged students studying at schools for Schools for visually challenged and Schools for tribals in India. From Tarangini funds, Dallas team also contributed $12,000 as appreciation prize money to 16 players of Andhra Pradesh Cricket team for the Blind. The team won national T20 cricket tournament competing with 23 states from all over India. Key highlights of the event Motivational Speakers: Chief Guest – Padma Bhushan Mr. Gopichand Pullela, Chief Coach of India Badminton, Dronacharya and Arjuna awardee Keynote Speaker – Professor Mr. Giri Amaravadi, University of Texas, Arlington, Lend an Eye Project coordinator for better enabling the education of visually challenged at Netra Vidyalaya using technology Guest Speaker – Ms. Suma Kanakala, Prominent TV presenter Hosts: Emcees – VT Seva Dallas Youth Volunteers Speakers – Mr. Priyatham (Dallas Branch director, 2019 & 2020 ) and Mr. Uttham (New Dallas branch director, 2021 & 2022) Entertainment by: Multiple programs such as dance, comedy shows, Festivals of India cultural show by JET USA PRAJNA students Mimicry program by Mr. Raju Songs program by Kasheesh group Music and Songs by Mr. Karthik and Ms. Nutana The event started with peace prayer and lighting of the lamp followed by rendering of national anthems of US and India. As part of the event, VT Seva national Joint treasurer announced the President's Volunteer Service Award recipient names from Dallas and congratulated them for their volunteerism. The volunteering opportunities and new project initiatives by VT Seva Dallas team were announced and the team is looking forward to spreading the joy of volunteerism and philanthropy in the communities we live in with active engagement and empowerment of youth. Here is Padma Bhushan Mr. Pullela Gopichand's special interview. He recognizes the efforts of VT Seva volunteers, shares what compassion and success mean to him and much more. Watch the complete program of Tarangini 2021

Encouragement for sports in India is not much compared to academics. And especially for the blind, there is almost none. VT Seva supported Nethra Vidyalaya provides free education, food and boarding to hundreds of students from kindergarten to graduation with a Bachelor's degree. The institutions give equal importance to sports and arts and we have been successful in enabling our students to win laurels for the country. VT Seva CEO and Nethra Vidyalaya visionary - Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji believes in empowering the visually challenged with comprehensive education and growth opportunities in sports, arts and academics with the best of the facilities. Here are key highlights from the recent past - In 2020 & 2021 , VT Seva supported Nethra Vidyalaya students & alumni represented the Andhra Pradesh state cricket team in the National T20 championship and emerged as champions competing against 23 states in India. Being champions back-to-back years is a huge accomplishment. VT Seva has contributed $12,000 (8 lakh Indian rupees) appreciation prize money to the Andhra Pradesh Cricket team through our CEO Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji. Rs 50,000 was given to each of the 16 players to aid them in better training and performance, winning laurels for the nation. 2021 Win - IndusInd Bank Nagesh Trophy National Level Cricket Tournament for the Blind 2020 Win - Nagesh Trophy National Level Cricket Tournament for the Blind In 2019, our Netra Vidyalaya students have represented India in ATTF (Asian Track & Turf Federation) games and won 9 Gold, 5 Silver and 1 bronze medals . 2019: Asian Track & Turf: Wins 2021 Covid challenge In 2021, due to Covid pandemic, there was no organization in Andhra Pradesh who would come forward to conduct selection trials for forming Andhra Pradesh team that would later represent the state at national T20 Cricket tournament. Our Nethra Vidyalaya took the responsibility and successfully conducted the trials a month ago. 3 players from Nethra Vidyalaya - Mr. Punya Srinath (10th class student) and Mr. Gopal & Mr. Ravindra (Alumni) got selected for the state team. Not only did our institution support our 3 students with expenses for travel and training, but also enabled other visually challenged enthusiasts to form a team for the state. Prize Money encouragement As Nethra Vidyalaya came forward and organized the selection trials for selecting the best team, the cricket players after winning the tournament came directly from Bengaluru to Vijayawada to meet him in person and expressed their gratitude to Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji. Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji felt extremely happy for their victory and presented 50000 rupees for each of the 16 players as a token of encouragement. The players were pleasantly surprised while taking the prize money and stated that they did not receive such huge prize money of 800,000 rupees from any tournament till now. Even in this tournament as the national champions, they have received 100,000 rupees only for the whole team. They mentioned that providing facilities and training expenses will go a long way in realizing the dreams of the visually challenged. Your support and Reach If you are a cricket league or a cricket fan or the one who believes in empowering youth with sports and especially sports for the visually challenged, please reach out to us at cricketforblind@vtsworld.org to support our efforts in making a positive impact in the lives of visually challenged through sports education and participation opportunities all over the world.

VT Seva Centers across the United States partner with local food banks/non profit organizations heavily to serve communities ensuring more people get food. In Dallas, VT Seva has partnered with NTFB for the past 8 years and hundreds of VT Seva Dallas volunteers have been volunteering at North Texas Food Bank (NTFB) for the past 7 years. As part of our volunteering at NTFB, we have logged over 4000 volunteer hours, sorted and packed more than 300,000 pounds of food which provided 250,000 meals. Through food drives, we contributed more than 20,000 pounds of food to support senior citizens and meals for school pantries. Post COVID-19 we are looking forward to start actively volunteering with NTFB and would for you to join us. Sign up here to get notifications about our future volunteer events at Food Banks in Dallas.